As the evenings lengthen and the weather warms up - we hope! -, thoughts turn to summer. CTC has a range of opportunities[12] for volunteers to get involved in supporting fabulous events such as the Orbital Festival[13] from 26-27 July, which celebrates all things vélo-tastic. Not only will you get free entry and a goodie bag, you can also help raise funds for CTC’s vital campaigning work.

Julie Rand, CTC Information Team

Giro-mania

With the start of the Giro d’Italia[14] in Belfast on Thursday 8 May, ‘Gironomo[15]![15]’, the story of ‘the world’s toughest bike race’ a hundred years on is well-timed. Author Tim Moore, of ‘French Revolutions’[16] fame, not only rerode the ‘very terrible 1914 Tour of Italy’ but did it on a vintage bike – complete with brake blocks made of cork, as this extract[17] recounts. Interestingly, this year also marks the centenary of the only occasion the race has been finished by a woman – Alfonsina Strada. ‘It Ends With an A’[18], a play of her story will be enacted in towns along this year’s route.

More top stories

Signs of progress

After years of pressure from CTC, the Department for Transport has unveiled a major reform[19] of the traffic signs and signals regulations. We hope this will allow better quality cycle facilities to be built, and greater flexibility for local authorities to adopt their own approaches. Meanwhile, a new survey[20] suggests that many drivers don't understand existing signs, including those indicating cycle routes.

But cycle use is falling

New figures[21] show that, despite its apparent popularity, the proportion of people in England cycling once a month or more has fallen by over a third of a million. Cycle use has also fallen in other parts of Britain, probably as a result of a lack of government action. If you want this to change, join the thousands of others who have written to their local councillors demanding Space for Cycling[22].

It takes two...

Good luck to CTC members Dom Irvine and Glen Longland, who will attempt to break the record for the fastest tandem ride[23] from Land’s End to John o’Groats this weekend – it currently stands at an amazing 50 hours, 14 minutes and 25 seconds! On 13 June, CTC members Kevin Ball and dad Jim[24] will ride from John o'Groats to Land’s End by tandem tricycle for a different record attempt.

Roadshow antiques

Meanwhile, CTC staff member Ross Adams and his dad have a different challenge: they run a cycle museum in just outside Warrington and, sadly, they now have to thin out some of the surplus stock with an auction on Wednesday 21 May[25]. The collection includes accessories, signs, maps, posters and lamps as well, as bicycles and tricycles dating from the 19th to the 21st century.

Who dares wins?

Which is fastest – running, cycling or public transport? This week’s Tube strikes in London saw congested roads, crowded bus queues and hordes of angry commuters. The Daily Telegraph[26] took the opportunity to put the alternatives to the test with a race between three of its writers. You may be surprised by the result!

A Day Out

As most people now know, 2014 is the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. CTC Heart of England’s Meriden Rally[27] on 17-18 May will mark the occasion with a series of special events, including a screening of ‘A Day Out’[28] by Alan Bennett. Made for the BBC in 1972, this film is set in 1911 and features a Halifax cycling club on a day trip, blithely unaware of the coming horror.

Get into Europe

The European Cycling Challenge[29] 2014 started yesterday 1 May and 31 towns and cities are taking part, including Bristol and Reading[30]. The city that rides the longest total distance wins. Participants can track their journeys with the free Endomondo App, or via the website, and challenge other European cities such as Barcelona, Bologna, Groningen and Oslo. So get riding!

Be part of Bike Club Scotland

Would you like to get more young people riding bikes? CTC currently has a vacancy for a Bike Club Development Officer[31] based in Glasgow. You will need to demonstrate a good knowledge of community-based cycling or physical activity projects across a range of community and youth work settings. The closing date is Monday 12 May 2014, with a selection day on Tuesday 20 May.

Julie Rand has edited CycleClips since 2011 and has been working at CTC in various guises since 2001.